Stepping Up To The Plate
by squ1d
Summary: Faye has a crisis and Joseph is missing, as is Jac. Linden has to put aside his hurt and step in.
1. Chapter 1

Stepping Up To The Plate

Chapter 1

It was 3am when the phone started to ring.

"Linden it's Faye"

His first thought was annoyance, after everything that had happened, the kiss, the rejection, he was hurting and he just wanted to keep distance from her but he could hear in her voice, not panic but something. Faye always had a calm consistent tone to her voice, but now this was different.

"It's 3am Faye, what's wrong?"

"Look I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but I...I don't know who else to call, I...I can't get hold of Joseph"

Now he could hear some panic surfacing.

"Faye, you need to tell me what's going on. Where are you?"

"I'm at home, there was a break in. Two men...I disturbed them. The police are here but they are leaving and I've tried calling Joseph, but he's away and he's not answering his phone. I....I..."

"Okay Faye, it's OK, calm down. I'm on my way. I'll be there in 20minutes". He could hear a sob building up in her voice as she thanked him.

Linden jumped out of bed, grabbed the clothes he'd been wearing the night before and his car keys and raced out of his flat. All anger had vanished as soon as he'd heard the panic in her voice, it was replaced by the same feeling he had at the wedding when he found her crying, the overwhelming urge to protect her. The feeling that led to the kiss.

Racing from the car to Faye and Joseph's flat, he took the stairs two at a time. When he got to the door and knocked, it slowly opened with the chain on. Faye's head appeared around the chain in darkness he could hear a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.

She opened the door without saying anything and stood there in the dark, the only light coming in from the hall. "Linden, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you. I just didn't know who else to call". At this her voice broke and Linden's heart sank. He stepped forward and pulled her to him. A sob escaped Faye and he could feel her tremble against his chest.

Linden held her tighter, smoothing her hair with one hand. "It's okay...it's okay". They stood like this for a while. He could gradually feel her breathing calm and eventually she pulled back from him. "Come and sit down". He guided her to the sofa. The room was now only lit by the street lights coming in through the window. Linden could make out a lot of mess on the floor but he didn't say anything until she sat next to him on the sofa.

"Faye, what happened?"

She sat with her head down, her hands occupied with some tissues. "I was asleep in the bedroom. I heard a bang. At first I thought it was outside, but then I could hear rustling. It was stupid, I know, but I went to have a look at what it was". She paused, as if re-living the memory. "When I opened the door, I could see the room had been turned upside down, I was just looking at it, when I could feel a presence". Linden could see her shudder. He placed a hand softly on her back, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to this, but he asked, "what happened next?".

"I could hear breathing close, I turned and he...he just lunged at me". Linden could feel his heart sink, not what sure what Faye was going to say next. "He had a knife; he held it up to my throat". She was rocking slightly now. "He said not to panic, that as long as I did what they said, they'd let me go".

"Oh Faye", he rubbed her back as she continued. "I didn't know what to do and then he was arguing with other man and he turned to speak to him and I panicked. I backed up into the bedroom, locked the door and crouched down by the bed. I was trying to call Joseph, but he wasn't picking up, but then the man just started kicking at the door. I had nowhere to go....the door flew open and he came in". She was sobbing softly now. Linden pulled her closer to him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. He shushed her soothingly, but she had started and she wanted to finish.

"He was in a rage, it was like a switch was flipped, he grabbed me by my hair and dragged me across the room and we fought. I was trying to get away from him but it was no use. He grabbed the knife...and...and I thought that was going to be it, but then there was a siren and he froze. The siren got closer and they shouted to each other to leave". The rocking got harder. "Then they grabbed what they could and ran. They shouted back, we'll be back for the rest sweetheart and laughed as they left". At this, Linden could feel his chest become damp from her tears.

"Oh Faye, I'm sorry".

Through tears she said "You have nothing to be sorry for"

No he thought, but Joseph does. It was an irrational annoyance building up, he knew, Joseph wasn't to know what was going on, but if it was him, if he was the one who got to share his life with Faye, he would have been there.

Faye calmed and he could see the strong facade going back on. She started to move. "I should clear up, this place is a mess".

"Faye, leave it. I can help later. You've had a shock, it can wait".

"It's okay". She rose, took two steps and stumbled. Linden was immediately on his feet grabbing her to steady her. She now had a hand to her head and Linden got the sinking feeling again. He switched a nearby lamp on and tried not to let the shock show on his face, for fear of scaring her. There was a large and angry bruise appearing across her forehead.

"Faye did someone check you out". He gently lifted her chin and started to lift up her eyelids, to check her pupils. She winced as she did it.

"No, the police came and they wanted to take me to A&E, but I didn't want a fuss. I didn't want to see anyone from work. I'm fine, just shaken". He'd moved from her head to checking her pulse.

"Faye, you might have a concussion. Are you hurting anywhere else?"

She lifted up her pyjama top and he could see an equally angry bruise on her side. He moved to touch it, but again she winced. "I'd rather take you to casualty, to give you a full check up". He could see her start to panic.

"No Linden please, I don't want to see anyone".

"Okay, okay, it's alright." He eased her back into a chair. "At least let me get you some ice". He moved to the kitchen stepping over the mess as he went. Returning with ice wrapped in a cloth he held it to her head until she took over. Linden was amazed at how calm she seemed considering. He felt sick that he couldn't make this better for her, sick about what she had been through.

"I'll keep an eye on you here, but if you show any more symptoms that it's more than a concussion, you'll have to go in. I'm not taking any chances."

She nodded silently. "Thank you". She grabbed her mobile from the table and began to ring Joseph again. He wanted to stop her, he didn't want Joseph here. He'd let Faye down and now he was here to look after her.

"He's still not answering. He's at that surgeon's conference in Brighton; he's probably out of range". Linden scanned his memory to a conversation about the conference. A conversation he had had with Jac. He thought back to Joseph's confession about sleeping with Jac behind Faye's back and he really hoped for Faye's sake that that wasn't why Joseph wasn't reachable this time.

Faye was on her feet again surveying the mess. "I don't even know where to start", she sighed.

"Leave it. Why don't you get some rest, go on, go to bed. I'll sleep on the couch, I'm not going anywhere."

Faye smiled and moved towards the bedroom door, but she came to a halt in the doorway. Linden resisted the urge to intervene. She carried on and climbed into bed, leaving the door ajar. Linden sat on the sofa. He didn't think he could sleep, his mind was racing. What he wanted to do, was go into the bedroom and hold her in his arms, but that was Joseph's job and Joseph just might be doing the same now with Jac.

He sat and thought for a long while. He'd have to keep checking on Faye anyway, in case she did have a concussion. There was no point sleeping. Instead he let his mind go over and over his feelings for Faye.

It was a noise that he couldn't quite make out that stirred him from his thoughts...

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

At first Linden wasn't sure what the noise was, but then he heard it again. It was distinctly paper rustling, a bang and laughing and it was coming from the door. The noise had woken Faye as well and she emerged from the bedroom looking understandably apprehensive.

Linden went to the door and looked through the peep hole. Faye followed. Not seeing anyone there and hearing the laughter get more distant, Linden opened the door, ensuring Faye was safely behind him. Not seeing anything in the hall, he peered around the corner, but the corridor was empty. He moved to re-enter the flat when he noticed it. A newspaper clipping pinned to the door. Linden pulled in down and looked at it confused.

"What is it?" Faye peeked over his shoulder. He moved to hide it, but it was too late. Faye stood there looking at a news story about her. A newspaper story covering the crossbow shooting at Holby. Across the top was scribbled the words 'Keep Quiet'. Faye let out a sharp intake of breath.

Linden was at a loss, he'd heard talk about the shooting, about what Tim Methven had done. He hadn't heard that Faye was caught up in it though. Still there was no chance to digest that now, when he was clearly holding a threat against Faye in his hands.

"Don't panic, it's probably nothing. They're just trying to scare you"

"Well, it's working Linden". She was starting to panic again. "What do we do now?"

Linden grabbed her by the shoulders. "We'll have to give this to the police".

"Not now, I can't face them being in here again...all the questions" she was nearing tears now. "I can't stay here Linden, what if they come back?"

"Don't panic, it's OK. Look, let's call the police and at least tell them what's happened. We can leave seeing them until tomorrow. You can stay at mine in the meantime."

"Thank you"

Linden called the police while Faye gathered some clothes and tried Joseph again. She couldn't understand why he wasn't picking up. Surely he should be at the hotel room.

The drive to Linden's was silent. Faye looked shocked and exhausted and Linden was glad she didn't seem to want to talk. His mind was racing. Why had the robbers come back? Was Faye actually in danger or was it just some kind of prank? Why was he doing this? Surely he was just going to get hurt again when Joseph returned.

Linden shuffled Faye into his flat, took her coat and guided her to the sofa. He moved to the kitchen to start making tea. Looking back at Faye she looked so tiny huddled up on the sofa, staring at her mobile phone. He was struggling to know what to do.

"Faye, the police did say that they don't think it's a serious threat. That it's just the robber's way of making sure that the case is weak if they get caught."

"I know"

"You're safe here you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just been such a terrible night. I thought it was over when they left." She sighed. "Seeing the newspaper clipping... I avoided it when it first happened. I didn't want to see any coverage; I just wanted to move on. I never thought I would ever see it. "

She looked at her mobile again. "I sometimes wonder if the shooting hadn't happened, whether Joseph and I would be where we are today. When it happened...when I felt it hit me in the back and I was lying there waiting to die, I felt so alone." Linden could see the memories floating around in her head. He was horrified, imagining what she must have gone through. He wished it was him that had been there and not Joseph.

He went back to the sofa and placed the coffee on the table. Sitting next to Faye, he put his arm loosely around her.

She continued, although he could see she was struggling. "I begged Sam to not let me die...and he saved me. He saved me, but Zoe died."

"That wasn't your fault Faye. You know as well as I do, sometimes there's nothing you can do. You're strong, you fought it and you were lucky."

Faye paused. "It was the shooting that brought Joseph and I closer together. I didn't want to rely on anyone. I never want to rely on anyone, but he was so kind to me. So patient with me."

Linden held back. He wanted to be angry with Joseph that he wasn't here now and he didn't want to hear about their relationship. Faye was oblivious though, now lost in her own thoughts.

She thought about the shooting and how Joseph and her had become closer. She felt so safe with Joseph, she knew he adored her and it had been so long since that had happened... since she felt she could rely on anyone but now there was Linden and she felt a completely different attraction to him that was making her question everything. She knew she loved Joseph, but was she in love with him? And had she just made the biggest mistake of her life by kissing Linden and then turning him away?

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Linden watched Faye whilst she was deep in thought and listened as she let out an involuntary sigh. He imagined she was thinking about the nights events. He didn't imagine that she was thinking about him.

Linden felt exhausted. It was nearly 5am and he hadn't really slept and Faye, well she looked shattered.

"Faye, why don't you get some sleep, you're exhausted." She jumped at the disturbance to her thoughts and Linden squeezed her shoulder for reassurance.

Faye didn't really think that she could sleep but she was too tired to argue. Instead she nodded.

"Come on, you can have my room, I'll stay on the sofa". Faye got up and let Linden guide her to his room. Grabbing a towel from the wardrobe, Linden handed it to her and then immediately started grabbing some items of clothing that were lying across the chairs and shoving them in the wardrobe. "Sorry" he said sheepishly giving Faye the shy grin that she loved so much. Possibly a bit too much. They stood there momentarily, looking awkwardly at each other before Linden made a move to retreat from the room. "Well err...good night. Call me if you need anything."

"Night"

Linden sighed as he left the room and went back to the living room. He wasn't sure how he'd got into this mess, how he'd ended up falling for someone he couldn't have. How he'd ended up caught between a couple who both thought of him as their best friend.

After an hour of brooding over Faye and not sleeping, Linden gave up and went to get a glass of water. On the way back from the kitchen he paused by the bedroom door and peered through the gap. He could make out the outline of Faye curled up in a ball under the duvet. Glad she had given in and was resting, he returned to the sofa to ponder the night's events. Everything raced through his head, his relationship with Faye, how he'd fallen in love with her, gone all the way to South Africa for her and yet he was still lying alone.

The silence was broken by murmuring coming from his room. He got to the door to see Faye sitting bolt upright in the bed shaking. He sat down on the bed and put his hand to her face, talking gently to her, as he had at the wedding. "Hey, hey, hey, it's OK, shhhh. Shhh."

"Oh Linden, I just keep dreaming about it all over and over again, the break-in, worrying they're coming back and now the shooting"

"Come here". He gathered her up in his arms holding her tight. He shifted himself back to rest against the headboard and Faye shifting with him, so that her head was resting on his chest.

"It's not surprising; you've had a hard night. It'll fade with time."

"I don't want to ever go back to the flat. I don't think I'll ever feel safe there again."

"You're safe now. You can stay here as long as you need but wait until Joseph's back and decide then."

Faye paused before speaking. "Thank you. You've been so good to me and I don't deserve it. I hurt you and that was wrong of me." Linden didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet. He didn't want another discussion about the kiss.

Faye went quiet and he could hear her breathing slow as she drifted off. He'd thought about being curled up with Faye so many times and now she was here, but under different circumstances.

Linden brushed a stray strand of hair off of her forehead as she slept. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't doing anything wrong, that he was just a friend comforting her and there was a duvet between them, that it was innocent. Then he cursed himself for doing what he had been determined not to do when she phoned earlier – get involved.

Despite his guilt, he was enjoying having Faye in his arms, feeling her relax against him. It relaxed him too and soon he dropped off to sleep.

The phone woke Linden with a start. Faye recognised the ringtone and grabbed her mobile from the bedside table. "It's Joseph". Linden tried to fake a smile. He grabbed his glasses and checked the clock which said 10am.

"Oh Joseph, where have you been I've been trying to call you again and again"

Faye got up out of Linden's bed and moved to the living room to carry on her call. Linden sighed as the moment he'd been enjoying so much passed.

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Faye was on the phone for about 30mins. He could gather from his end that Joseph was frantic when he heard what had happened. Though it still didn't explain where he'd been.

Faye hung up the phone and smiled at Linden. "He had run out of battery. He's coming home now." Linden just nodded.

She took the cup of tea from him. "Thank you for last night Linden" she added. "I always said you were my guardian angel".

"I'll make us some breakfast" Faye turned on the TV and sat down. Linden served up breakfast and they watched TV together in silence.

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Joseph arrived at lunchtime. Linden busied himself in the kitchen whilst Faye answered the door. He didn't want to see Joseph swan in and take over. Especially when he wasn't sure he was being entirely honest with Faye. However he didn't have a choice. Faye had made her choice.

After they'd greeted each other, Joseph approached Linden. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for Faye, I'm glad you were here. "

"It's fine. She wouldn't go to casualty; you'll need to keep an eye on her." Then he couldn't stop himself. "How was the conference, I know a few people that were going?" The question seemed to throw Joseph, a little too much. "Erm, yes it was fine... erm... very interesting."

He turned to Faye. "We should get out of Linden's hair and we need to drop into the police station on the way home."

Faye froze. "I can't do it. I don't want to go back to the flat. Please Joseph."

"Erm. Well. Yes. We could go back to my mother's I suppose. I'll get someone in to clean up the flat."

A relieved Faye started to gather her belongings together. When she finished, Joseph moved towards the door, but Faye held back to speak to Linden.

Faye gave Linden an awkward hug. "Bye". She seemed reluctant to leave.

"You take care".

After closing the door, Linden stood with his back against the door. Both relieved and sad that she'd left.

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He didn't see Faye for three days after. She texted him to say how grateful she was and to tell him that she was indeed staying with Joseph's family, but apart from that he hadn't heard anything.

Walking to work he saw Joseph and Faye arriving at the same time. He was tempted to slow up and let them go ahead before they saw him but it was too late. He walked with them to the lift.

Faye smiled when she saw him. "Hi"

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm OK. A little jumpy but I'm sure that will pass. We moved back to the flat last night. It's different there now, but OK."

"Good." He was relieved that she was alright; he'd been worrying more than he wanted to admit to himself, but for Linden the lift couldn't come quick enough.

They were joined by Jac whilst they waited it to arrive, complete with her trademark smirk.

"Good morning everyone. Good to have you back Sister Morton."

Everyone looked at Jac with contempt, something not lost on Jac, but at the same time something she seemed to relish.

"Joseph, it's a shame you missed the end of the conference".

The silence was deafening. Faye glared first at Joseph and then back at Jac. Linden could see panic cross Joseph's face. He was going to have to do some explaining to get out of this one.

Linden excused himself. "I might grab the stairs."

Faye was distraught, but she wasn't going to let Jac see it. She felt like everything was crashing down around her. She was piecing everything together in her head. Joseph had gone missing and not been picking up his phone whilst she was going through hell. He didn't mention that Jac had been at the conference. She didn't want to hear what Joseph had to say, she just wanted to get away from him and Jac.

The lift came and they travelled in silence until they reached their destination, where they made a move to go their separate ways. Joseph grabbed Faye's arm as she moved. "Faye, listen, it's not what it seems."

"I don't want to hear it Joseph. What is it with Jac, why can't you just keep away from her?"

Joseph was wondering the same thing. Except it wasn't that easy...

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Faye managed to avoid Joseph and his attempts to talk to her for the rest of the morning. Fuming, she didn't trust herself to have a conversation with him right now. As for Jac, well she was the only person that Faye knew that could be horrid to someone else just by smiling at them.

Faye thought back to the last week. So much had happened, so much had changed, she'd been beaten, terrified, had hurt someone she cared deeply about again and now less than a month into her marriage, she wasn't sure that her husband hadn't been cheating on her as it had all been happening. She wondered if things could actually get any worse.

Unfortunately they could...

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Linden had a busy morning on the ward. He barely had time to think about what had happened by the lift until one of his patients required a consultation from Joseph. Deciding to use the opportunity to check on Faye, Linden went up to Darwin to see Joseph rather than calling.

Walking along the corridor to the ward, Linden paused. He could see Jac and Joseph ahead having a heated conversation in whispered voices. He could feel the anger that had been building at Joseph surfacing again, he couldn't help it.

Joseph turned away from Jac to see Linden standing there watching them. He waved Jac away and walked to towards Linden.

"Hi, we were just chatting. What are erm... you doing up here. "

Linden was finding Joseph's bumbling more frustrating than normal. "I have a consult for you. I thought I'd have the break and come up myself." He didn't mention Faye.

"Before... downstairs, it's not what it sounded like you know."

"It's none of my business Joseph what you and Jac get up to."

"We didn't get up to anything, we just stayed up talking." Joseph said nothing had happened but his body language said something different.

"Yes well, anyway we have a 43 year old patient experience severe arrhythmia. Chrissie will run through her history with you".

"Sure, I'll go down now"

Joseph paused as if he wanted to say something further but stopped himself and starting walking.

Linden stood there looking at Joseph departing. He hoped Joseph wasn't expecting him to follow. He was planning on tracking Faye down, but as it turned out he didn't have to move from his current spot.

"Linden" He spun around to see Faye standing behind him smiling.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I had a consult for Joseph." He added, almost as an afterthought. "And I wanted to make sure you were alright after this morning."

Faye appeared pleased at the gesture. "I'm fine. Thank you. It just always seems like Jac is coming between us. I thought us finally being married might put an end to it."

"You don't know for definite anything happened between them do you?"

"Well no, but even if it didn't, he kept it from me Linden." He could see how much she was hurting.

The conversation was interrupted by Mr Hope, "Sorry Faye but I need you now"

Faye nodded before turning to Linden, "I'd better go, I'll see you later?" It was definitely a question rather than a statement.

Faye finished assisting Mr Hope and returned to the nurse station to locate some notes. She was busying herself when she suddenly felt a presence behind her. Still jumpy, she span around to be confronted with a smiling Jac, standing there with her arms folded.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Just wondering what it must be like to be you. I mean how many husbands have you had already? And now, your husband of less than a month fails to mention he was at a conference with his ex-girlfriend. It's got to be a record, even for you."

Faye remained calm. "Why can't you let him go Jac? He chose me, he made his choice. Stop fantasising that he's going to change his mind." She could momentarily see a look of annoyance pass across Jac's face before the cool facade was back.

"You're right, he did choose you. But maybe you should ask yourself if you are enough for him? Because if you were, then why was he in my room on the night that you were having your little drama?" Jac's smile got smugger.

Faye's heart sank but she tried desperately not to show it. A bedside buzzer alarm interrupted them giving Faye the perfect excuse to leave. Without saying anything more, she took the notes that she'd been looking for and left to answer it.

As Faye was attending to the patient, she saw Joseph enter the ward. He paused when he saw her before making a bee-line for her. She didn't want a scene, so she moved to one side.

"Faye, I really think we need to talk. I need to explain about before."

"There isn't anything I want to hear from you Joseph right now."

"Nothing happened between Jac and me. We were at the same conference and that was it. I didn't tell you because I thought it might upset you." Faye tried to walk away but Joseph grabbed her arm.

Faye spoke is a clipped but hushed tone. "You were just at the same conference, that's it? You wanted to spare my feelings? And what about being in Jac's bedroom, did you omit that snippet of information to spare my feelings?" Joseph looked like a rabbit caught in headlights. He tried to make a sound, but he wasn't making any sense. He didn't deny it and that was enough to tell Faye everything she needed to know. She left Joseph standing aghast as she rushed out of the ward. Her mind was racing and she needed to talk to Linden. She needed Linden.

Joseph was distraught. The impact of what was happening was dawning on him and he was panicking. He walked quickly around the ward trying to locate Jac. He needed to find out what Jac had said to Faye. He found her in the staff room, thankfully alone. She smiled when she saw him.

"I saw you chatting with Faye. She didn't look too happy. Is everything alright?" Still the smirk remained.

"No, everything isn't alright. What did you say to her? Did you tell her I was in your room?"

"I only told her the truth. You _were_ in my room. Don't worry I didn't tell her we slept together. I thought I'd spare her that."

Joseph was breathing fast, a mixture of anger and fear running through him. He looked at Jac, wondering why when she could be so cruel and had hurt him so much in the past he was still attracted to her. Why he still kept going back for more.

"I was drunk. We both were and you know it. It's Faye that I love."

"No Joseph, you like the idea of loving Faye. You like the idea of her because she's so different from me and I hurt you. It's not the first time you've betrayed her with me Joseph and it won't be the last. No matter how much I disgust you at times, you can't help yourself, you love me."

"I don't, I am married to Faye and I made a mistake and that's it."

Jac rose from her seat and headed for the door. "Well you better hope that she forgives you for it." She paused. "Again".

Joseph looked at Jac with disdain. He loved Faye. It wasn't just she was the anti-Jac. It wasn't.

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Linden had escaped from the chaos of the ward for a break, leaving Mark to sort out a few admissions. He wasn't concentrating and he'd had a text from Faye asking him to meet her downstairs for a coffee.

Walking down the corridor Linden could hear sobbing as he passed the ladies bathroom. He wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't. He paused outside the door. It was the bathroom where Maddy had been stabbed and where he'd tried with Maria to save her. As cool as he'd been at the time, finding Maddy like that had left its mark on Linden and he could feel his pulse beginning to race.

With a deep breath he knocked and stepped through the door. The last person he expected to see was Faye sitting on the floor in obvious distress. His fear forgotten, Linden rushed over to her.

"Faye, what's wrong" He kneeled in front of her.

Her words were coming in short sharp breathes. "It's ...It's him. He grabbed me."

"Who Faye?" he said urgently.

"The man who broke into my flat"

"Where"

"In the corridor, he must have been visiting someone".

"Did he hurt you Faye?" Linden grabbed both of her arms.

"He had his hand around my throat. He pinned me against the wall. He kept asking had I got his message."

"Faye, give me a look" he indicated to her neck. Faye pulled back the lapels of her uniform and he could see red finger marks. She winced as he touched them.

The door to the bathroom opened and Chrissie walked in. She looked from Faye to Linden confused.

"Chrissie call security." Chrissie took another look at the state of Faye and ran off.

"He's in the hospital Linden. He knows where I work."

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the delay in this chapter. Life took over.

**Previously: **

"He's in the hospital Linden. He knows where I work."

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Linden reached around Faye and pulled her up and to him. "Come on. Let's get you to my office".

Faye tucked her head in to Linden's shoulder as he supported her along the corridor. She could see that she was getting stares from the people they were passing and she could imagine that she looked a mess. She had clearly been crying and was visibly shaking. The more she could hide her face, the better.

Faye was tucked away in the office when security arrived. Linden told them what had happened, gave them the description that Faye had given to him before returning to Faye.

He sat down on the desk in front of her, taking everything in. She was still shaking slightly, even though she now had a blanket wrapped around her. He rubbed her shoulder lightly.

As much as he didn't want to ask, he knew he should. "Do you want me to call Joseph?"

Her answer surprised him. "No. I don't want him here at the moment. I don't want to look at him. It's too much Linden. Every time I see him I just think about him and Jac. "

Linden gestured to her that it was okay.

"The police will be here soon. They'll need to take a statement from you. Security are looking at the CCTV footage now."

Faye nodded, but not really listening to what Linden was saying. "I could feel someone coming up behind me. I could hear him breathing." She paused. "You know how sometimes, you can just sense something. I knew it was him without looking. It was just like when he was in the flat." Her voice was starting to break, as was Linden's heart watching her.

"He was laughing Linden, as he was threatening me. He only stopped when a noise scared him away. I didn't know what he was going to do." Linden reached forward and held her loosely to him.

"The police will get him Faye, there are camera's all over this place. They can track down who he was visiting. They might be able to get to him that way."

They were interrupted by a commotion outside. Linden could see through the blinds that Joseph was arguing with Mark.

"Linden..." Faye started.

"Don't worry. I'll have a word with him."

The conversation between Mark and Joseph stopped as he exited the office.

"Linden is she OK? What happened?" Joseph was panicking.

"She's fine. She's shaken and a bit bruised but otherwise alright."

Joseph made a move for the office door, before Linden stepped in to stop him. "Joseph... Look, I'm sorry, but Faye's said that she doesn't want to see you at the moment. "

"What do you mean she doesn't want to see me, I'm her husband?"

"She's upset about Jac and she just doesn't want to deal with it on top of everything that's happening now."

"But that doesn't matter now. I love her. She's my wife. I'll make her see." Joseph edged forward and Linden stepped further too, hands out in front of Joseph.

"Joseph, if you love someone you want the best for them and at the moment, the best thing for Faye is not to have any more stress. Look, I know this is hard, but you have to respect her wishes, she'll speak to you when she's ready."

Joseph looked like he wanted to hit something. He paused to argue again and then appeared to admit defeat, storming off. Linden felt sorry for him in a way. He had probably ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him and he could that see Joseph knew it.

-----------

The police spent almost 30 minutes questioning Faye. Linden could see that she was drained from the experience and asked them to wrap it up. After assuring her that they would be checking the CCTV footage and would report back on what they found, the two officers left.

After shaking hands, Linden turned back to Faye. "Come on, you can come home with me."

"You've already done so much. I can't impose any more."

Linden just gave her a small smile. "Come on."

Linden's shift was supposed to have finished, so he handed over some outstanding tasks to Mark and promising to text him later with an update and gently led Faye out of AAU and down to his car. As Faye sat down in the car, Linden looked up at the stairwell to see Joseph looking down at them. Linden felt uncomfortable. As much as he was being a friend to Faye right now, he also had feelings for Joseph's wife. Without saying anything to Faye, he got in the car and pulled away.

------------

Joseph was in the staff room when he heard the door open and close. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was, he could sense it.

"How's Faye, I heard what happened."

Keeping his back to Jac, he responded. "She's fine. "

"I saw her leaving with Linden. He always seems to be handy when she needs him. "

Joseph spun around. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing. I was just observing that Linden always seems to be nearby when the damsel is in distress."

Joseph was trying not to it show, but Jac had struck a nerve. He didn't think there was anything between Faye and Linden, but it hurt that he was the one she always turned to.

"Well she would be more likely to turn to me if she didn't think that we were sleeping together."

Jac pulled a face. "We were."

Joseph's jaw set with anger and he started to retaliate when his mobile rang. Hoping it was Faye, he fumbled in his pocket for his phone. The caller id didn't display but he answered it and immedietly turned pale. Jac could see he was startled and was trying to move away to get some privacy, but that just sparked Jac's interest more. She could make out short bursts of what Joseph was saying, including "it was you", "leave us alone" and "you got what you wanted".

She didn't waste any time when he hang up the phone. "Who was that?"

"Nobody". Joseph was clearly flustered, but that didn't stop Jac.

"Well it didn't sound like it. Are you in trouble?"

"No. Jac, please just drop it."

Jac knew Joseph well enough to know when she'd pushed too far. "Well if you want to share, you know where I am."

Jac had no sooner left when Joseph's mobile rang again. The caller display again left him in the dark and his anger growing. "Look, will you just leave me alone. I've told you..."

"Mr Burns?" Joseph could immediately tell that it wasn't the same caller as before and paused.

"Joseph Burns speaking. Who is this?"

"I'm phoning from Holby police station, we wanted to ask you about an incident earlier with your wife." A tense Joseph continued to listen. "Sir, do you know a Tony McGiffin?"

Joseph swallowed hard as the policewoman continued. "We have identified a man on the CCTV footage earlier who we think was involved. We haven't managed to apprehend him yet, but we have conducted a search of his property and discovered your mobile number."

"I... I... don't know he is, I'm sorry."

"Well, we'd appreciate it if you could come down to the station and look at some photos to see if it could jog your memory."

Joseph wanted to say no, but he was aware it would seem suspicious. Taking down the details of who he needed to see, he hung up the phone and then hung his head taking deep breaths. He felt trapped. How had he managed to get himself into this mess.

**tbc**


End file.
